Why virtual reality’s killer app will be social
Imagine donning a VR headset and getting transported to a giant mansion, where you and 60 other people — friends, family and acquaintances — watch the Super Bowl together on a giant virtual TV that's streaming the game in real-time.
Imagine visiting a virtual playground with giant versions of board games for you and your friends to play — or, to just stand around and chat with each other — even if those friends are across the country, or on a different continent.
These aren't just ideas; these are actual virtual reality experiences you can try right now, thanks to two-year-old AltSpaceVR, which has raised $5.2 million in one funding round to create social applications within virtual spaces.
Last week, I tried HTC's premium virtual reality headset, called the Vive. I'm convinced it's the best virtual reality experience out there right now. But even with all the incredible imagery in front of my eyes, I kept thinking back to my demo with AltSpaceVR. It would be nearly impossible for someone to truly believe what I had just seen in the HTC Vive. Painting 3D objects in mid-air, visiting an underwater shipwreck and cooking in a virtual kitchen is extremely fun, but it's nothing if you can't share in these experiences with others. Once that happens, virtual reality might finally be better than the real thing.
See the full story here: http://www.businessinsider.com/virtual-reality-killer-app-will-be-social-2015-7
The HoloLens’ limited field of view doesn’t matter, and here’s why
[Philip Lelyveld comment: article summary. Microsoft is overhyping Hololens. Don't. And market it to a target market that isn't greatly impacted by the limitations (ex. Field of View) of the device.]
For example, one of the situations that Microsoft has demonstrated is the use of HoloLens in a partially finished building, enabling builders, architects, and clients to discuss changes while literally standing in the partially finished building. Even with field-of-view limitations, this application isn't something that can be readily performed any other way; 3D renders lack the immediacy that a site visit provides, and physical models lack the easy malleability that virtual worlds offer. HoloLens doesn't have to be the perfect AR implementation to offer practical value over these alternatives. No, it's not going to offer a perfectly immersive 3D world. But it is going to offer substantially richer interaction than a mere computer screen could ever hope to.
See the full story here; http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/the-hololenss-limited-field-of-view-doesnt-matter-and-heres-why/
Scent Messaging Tech Allows for Aromas to Be Shared Digitally
Vapor Communications seeks to eliminate expected issues such as scent muddling by allowing plastic pellets with scents to be activated with air flow over the pellets allowing each scent to be personal. All of the products depend on the pellets within the oChip (the “o” is short for olfactory), and are grouped into families of similar aromas. The company is seeking to create over 300,000 distinct scents, each lasting for 1,000 uses, and costing around $2.
The oPhone Duo is a tabletop device that emits aromas based on how photos are labeled.
The Scentee is the simplest of the products, and has been around for nearly two years. The $70 product plugs into the iPhone’s headphone jack, which then converts the liquid fragrance cartridge into an aerosol, and is good for 200 sprays.
See the ETC post here: http://www.etcentric.org/scent-messaging-tech-allows-for-aromas-to-be-shared-digitally/
and the source story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/technology/personaltech/scent-received-with-a-tap-of-a-smartphone.html?_r=1
The Last Starfighter’ TV Spinoff with Virtual Reality Scenes in the Works
“The Starfighter Chronicles” aims to be the first TV show to embrace virtual reality.
Instead, it’s a serialized story about alien law enforcement. “It’s about instilling a moral code,” said Betuel during a recent interview.
And while most of it is meant to be viewable on plain old TVs, it would also feature special scenes that break the frame, allowing viewers equipped with virtual reality (VR) headsets to look around and explore the inside of a spaceship or immerse themselves in an alien firefight. “It’s a very interesting blend,” said Betuel. “The otherworldiness of it lends itself to VR.”
Betuel’s partners in crime for this ambitious project are Andy Vick and Rick Rey, co-founders of Surreal.tv, a new virtual-reality entertainment company that aims to combine linear storytelling with VR.
Vick previously worked as head of development for Maker Studios, and is now Surreal’s chief content officer. Rey, now Surreal’s CEO, also hails from Maker, which he joined by the way of the Blip Networks acquisition. Both said that the virtual reality space right now reminds them of online video at the end of the last decade.
See the full story here: http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/the-last-starfighter-tv-reboot-with-virtual-reality-scenes-in-the-works-exclusive-1201539455/
Simulated reality is creating new possibilities for testing vision, capturing surgery and helping those with limited vision.
One of the most promising uses of virtual reality in medicine is creating performance tests that simulate real-life conditions. (Traditional tests may bear little relation to the visual challenges faced by patients every day.) Their study used the Oculus Rift device to test subjects’ balance response to vection—the sense of motion we feel when the environment around us moves (or appears to move).
Dr. Medeiros points out that virtual reality offers ophthalmology a chance to break free of the traditional constraints of in-office testing. “Studies have shown that tests like the standard visual field are not very predictive of how patients actually perform in the real world,” he says.
SoCal VR Conference: What Will It Take to Move Virtual Reality to the Mainstream?
“It’s not just sticking a camera on something and recording in 360 degrees,” said Jim Willson, director of immersive products/VR for Samsung. “There has to be a reason and rationale. The production needs to be thought out in a way that you take advantage of the 360-degree environment. Filmmakers are trying to figure out what does this mean. How do they control the narrative?”
Samsung’s app Milk VR, which streams VR content, now offers about 200 experiences, and Willson reports that “filmmakers and production companies that we are working with now have better understanding of camera placement, lighting and the post production quality is going up significantly.”
Sports is one possible answer, and Samsung’s Milk VR is testing the waters with the recent launch of a U.S. Olympic Committee Reality Experience, which will to offer a 360-degree view of beach volleyball, diving, gymnastics and polo vaulting. Featured athletes include women’s beach volleyball team members Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat, diving gold medalist David Boudia, pole vaulter Mary Saxer and gymnast John Orozco.
Also during the SoCal VR conference, California Science Center board of trustees member David Knight gave a featured talk about the virtual reality shoot that he exec produced to give viewers access to the Space Shuttle Endeavour (which is housed at the center). This footage is available on Milk VR, and additional footage will be used for the permanent Endeavour display, which is scheduled to open in a new pavilion at the center during 2018.
See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/socal-vr-conference-virtual-realitys-808226